Restless
Written and Directed by Joss Whedon
Note: This episode was confusing to watch, and even more confusing to transcribe. I tried to get as much detail as possible, but interpreting dreams into text is difficult, and not everything could be written. My rating of this episode will probably be changed to 6 stakes later, after I've seen the episode a billion times and understand it completely.
The gang gathers at Buffy's for a movie fest, to relax after saving the world, but fall asleep before the first movie begins. Riley has left already to appear in court and plead his case in regards to the Initiative. Willow dreams of painting on Tara's back while they talk about finding a name for the kitten. Willow passes Oz and Xander on her way to drama class where Xander talks about the two Wicca's doing spells. Willow's first class turns out to be a big production in which Buffy, Willow and Riley are all cast members, and Giles is the teacher.
Willow goes through a corridor of curtains and talks with Tara about the play and what is following Willow. She is attacked by something, but Buffy saves her. In a classroom, Buffy rips off Willow's clothes, which makes her look and act like she did when she was in her early years of high school. Her attitude and appearance in college is just a "costume." The primitive then attacks her and drains her life while everyone watches.
Xander's dream begins at Buffy's house, where everyone is watching "Apocalypse Now". Xander goes upstairs and finds Joyce dressed in a nightgown, offering him a nice bed to lie down on. While Xander is trying to use the bathroom, he discovers there is a crowd of scientists watching him and taking notes. He leaves and after opening one door, he finds himself in his basement. The dream switches to the park where he finds Giles and Spike wearing identical suits, swinging on a swingset and talking about making Spike a watcher. Buffy plays in the sand and Xander worries about her, but she says there's nothing to be worried about yet.
Xander gets into the ice cream truck with Anya, finding Willow and Tara wearing sexy clothing in the back of the truck, kissing and groping. As Xander goes back to join the girls, he ends up on the school campus where he finds Giles and Anya, speaking French. Suddenly, Xander is dressed in fatigues, wearing handcuffs and being brought before a man who turns out to be Snyder. Xander stands up and runs from the Primitive. From Giles's apartment he goes to Buffy's dorm, through her closet and finally into his basement. There is a banging at the door and finally it opens, revealing Xander's father. Xander is frightened as his father yells at him and steps At the last minute he turns into the primitive as it rips Xander's heart from his chest.
Giles tries to hypnotizes Buffy. Along with a very pregnant Olivia, and a child-like Buffy, Giles attends a carnival, where the festivities revolve around vampires and destroying the forces of darkness. Spike has a job at the carnival as a vampire for people to take pictures off. At the Bronze, Giles talks with Willow and Xander about stoping whatever is after them. He suddenly gets up and starts singing a song about what they have to do. After his microphone goes dead, he follows the cord to the back room. The primitive takes a knife and cuts through his skull.
In Buffy's dream, Buffy worries about her friends and her unmade bed. Tara is there to tell her that the clock that reads 7:30 is wrong, and that she must return before dawn. On campus, Buffy finds her mother living in a wall. She goes upstairs and finds Riley along with a completely human Adam, both now very successful in the government, planning to dominate the world. As the guys leave to make a fort, Buffy reaches into her slayer bag and finds it filled with mud that she applies to her face.
She walks out into the desert, fearful that she'll never find her friends. Tara is there, the voice of the first Slayer, the primitive-looking being that is the reason for their dreams. The first slayer refuses to give up Buffy's friends and the two fight. The fight continues in Buffy's living room, but Buffy chooses to ignore her and go back to sleep. Everyone wakes up together, and talk about how the spirit of the first slayer tried to kill them in their dreams. In addition to all their fears and the primitive slayer, they gang also encountered the "cheese man" in their dreams. As Buffy goes upstairs, Tara's voice speaks out to her, informing the slayer that she hardly knows anything yet about who she is, and what her future holds.
"Buffy The Vampire Slayer" TM and © (or copyright) Fox and its related entities. All rights reserved. Any reproduction, duplication or distribution of these materials in any form is expressly prohibited. This web site, its operators and any content on this site relating to "Buffy The Vampire Slayer" are not authorized by Fox.
Last Updated: 5-24-00